


Grounded

by Periazhad



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Concussions, Crack, Enemy to Caretaker, Jason Todd Returns Home, Stealing a car, Tim Drake is Robin, there was almost torture but it didn't happen, this feels like crack at any rate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:40:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29729154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Periazhad/pseuds/Periazhad
Summary: Tim has a concussion. But he's going to bring Jason home.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 63
Kudos: 561
Collections: Jason and Tim Enemy-to-Caretaker





	Grounded

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, have you heard of emotional lability after a concussion? It’s a thing. A thing I’m butchering here.
> 
> I'm so tired but I wanted to write and this is what came out.

Tim snapped his eyes open, Robin training paying off. But the room tilted, fuzzy, and he couldn’t get his brain to function. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision, and noticed his splitting headache. When he went to rub his head, he realized his arms were restrained.

_ Think, Robin, think. _ His arms were bound, his head hurt, so...but he couldn’t get his brain back online.

Glancing down, he noticed he was in costume. The room was still blurry, and he shook his head to try to clear it.

Mistake.

Fire shot through him, and he almost cried out from the agony. The pain brought a small burst of clarity and he thought,  _ concussion _ . Okay, no more shaking his head.

His feet weren’t bound, but any movement shifted his weight to his arms, which sent him swinging, which made him nauseous.

_ No swinging _ , he sternly told himself. Tim didn’t know where he was; he was not going to be rude and throw up in someone else’s home.

He balanced carefully for a moment, hoping his head would clear. He was...He was out on patrol? Bruce was keeping a close eye on him since the Tower, but Jason hadn’t been seen since then. Tim figured Jason was throwing off the rest of the Pit, and would be home soon, and went out by himself. Jason didn’t kill Tim in the Tower, and he could have, so it was going to be fine.

Speaking of Jason. Tim looked up, and there he was. 

“Jason!” Finally, Jason was coming home.

“Replacement.” Jason reached out and stroked Tim’s cheek, and Tim leaned into it like a cat.

“Jason, I’m so glad you’re coming home.” 

Jason’s hand was so warm on Tim’s face, and Tim tried to follow it when Jason jerked it back.

“Replacement, what the fuck?”

Tim blinked up at Jason. “You’re coming home, right? Bruce misses you.” He smiled up at Jason. “Did you know your hands are very warm?”

“I didn’t hit your head  _ that _ hard.” Jason sounded bewildered. “Do you know who I am?”

Tim wished Jason would touch him again. Bruce didn’t touch him, outside of training, and Tim was lonely. He wanted to be touched again, so badly. Tears sprang into his eyes.

“Jason, please, your hands are so warm, please touch me again!” He  _ needed _ it.

But Jason took a step and repeated, “What the fuck?”

Tim couldn’t stop crying and he couldn’t even figure out  _ why. _ Jason was right there, so close, and he wasn’t  _ touching Tim. _

“Please,” he sobbed. “Please, I need it.”

“The plan was for you to cry much later, Replacement.” 

Tim didn’t care about the plan, he cared about  _ right now,  _ and  _ right now _ he was cold and lonely. And still hanging by his arms, and his head still hurt.

“Please, my arms hurt, and my head hurts, and I want you to go home so everyone can be  _ happy _ again. No one is  _ happy _ without you, and I can’t  _ make _ them happy, and I’m trying, but they need  _ you.” _

Jason was staring at him, shocked. Tim tried to push forward, to touch him, and couldn’t. “ _ Please,” _ he cried.

“I was going to kill you.” Jason sounded bewildered again.

“Jason, please, I don’t care if you  _ kill me _ , please, just  _ touch _ me.” But Jason just took another step back, and another. Tim’s tears came harder and faster, until he couldn’t even see Jason.

Suddenly his arms dropped free, and he staggered forward. He ran into someone, Jason, and flung his arms around him.

“Jason!” Jason was so  _ warm _ , and finally Tim was getting a hug. Well, taking a hug. Giving a hug? It was the closest thing he’d had in a long time. But he has an important job to do.

Tim took a step back, wiped his nose and eyes, and said, “Come on, Jason, we have to go back to the Manor now.”

“Uh, I don’t think—”

“We have to  _ go _ now.” Tim is suddenly furious. “They’ve been  _ waiting _ and  _ waiting _ , and it’s been  _ long enough.  _ You’re over the Pit by now, so  _ come home.” _ He got right up in Jason’s face and glared. 

Jason put his hands up and said, “I just think—”

“No,” Tim said. “ _ No _ , don’t think, the time for thinking is  _ done.  _ You are coming  _ home.” _

Tim reached out a hand and grabbed Jason’s arm, and then looked around. The room isn’t fuzzy or spinning anymore, and it looks like some kind of warehouse. What are they doing here?

“Where the  _ fuck _ is a car?” Tim didn’t usually swear, but sometimes it was needed. They needed to get Jason  _ home. _

“Uh, we can look outside?” Jason didn’t sound sure and Tim glowered at him, before realizing the sense of his suggestion.

“Which way is out?” 

Jason took a cautious step forward, and Tim stumbled after him. 

There  _ was _ a car outside, just a couple blocks away, and Tim stopped leaning on Jason to lean on the car instead. He jimmied open the car door, and bent down to hotwire it. The world swayed alarmingly, and he ignored it.

“Replacement, you aren’t driving us anywhere.”

“I have a  _ driver's license,” _ Tim hissed at him. “A  _ valid one _ , unlike yours, because you  _ died.  _ What if the police pull us over? Are you going to show them your driver's license for  _ a dead kid?” _

\---

Jason looked at Tim, swaying, stealing a car, and said, “Do you even have your license with you?”

He was not sure how he got from kidnapping and planning to kill Tim to trying to keep the kid calm. Tim was just so...confident. Confident that Jason was wanted at home, confident that Jason is  _ going  _ home, and then he  _ cried. _

The kid was patting down his costume, looking for his wallet and license, and Jason has had enough. He scooped the kid up, and dumped him in the passenger seat.

“Hey, Jason, what the fuck? You can’t drive, you don’t know how to  _ get there!” _

Jason looked at him scornfully. “You don’t think I know how to get to the Manor?”

“Well,” Tim said, equally scornful. “You haven’t  _ gone _ there, so I can only  _ assume.” _

“Well, tell me if I make a mistake.” The kid was crazy, certifiably crazy. What the hell was Bruce thinking, letting a crazy kid out to fight crime?

The car was silent, Tim watching Jason carefully, when he wasn’t trying not to throw up. Jason rolled down Tim’s window every time he looked a little green.

They were over halfway to the Manor when he started to cry again. Jason reached over and touched him, because hey, it worked last time.

Nope. Tim just cried harder.

“Kid?”

Sobbing.

“Kid?”

More sobbing?   
  


“Kid!”

Tim jerked his head around spat, “ _ What?” _ at him.

“Why are you crying?”

“Because you’re finally coming  _ home, _ which means  _ I _ have to go home, and there’s no one  _ at _ my home, and I’m going to be  _ lonely.” _ He cried louder.

Jason...Jason had no idea what to do with that.

“You think...Bruce is going to kick you out?”

“No,” Tim said sharply. “Because  _ I don’t live there _ .”

“Oh.”

Tim was full on glaring at Jason, and Jason almost missed the sobbing. The kid doesn’t live at the Manor? He lives all alone? Surely Bruce wouldn’t really let that happen.

Before he could think what to say, they were pulling up to the Manor gates. Tim gave Jason a code, and they drove into the Manor grounds. Jason couldn’t see much, in the dark, but the road was painfully familiar.

The door of the Manor opens as they park, and a broad outline is silhouetted against the light. Bruce.

Jason had hoped he’d be out scouring Gotham for the kid, and he could just drop Tim off and leave to go...somewhere else. Far away.

Tim was scrabbling at the door handle, cursing, and Jason reached over and opened it for him. Tim spilled out onto the ground, and Jason sighed. He turned off the car, walked around, and picked Tim up.

“I can  _ walk _ ,” the kid whined at him.  _ Whined. _ Jason was getting a little sick of these mood swings. 

“Really, you can put me down.” Tim doesn’t give up. “I can  _ walk, _ Jason, let me  _ go.” _

“You fell out of the car,” Jason said flatly. “You couldn’t even stand up.”

And then they were at the door, and Jason looked at Bruce. There was a moment, a quiet pause, and then Tim said, “Bruce! Jason has come home!”

Bruce glanced down at Tim, and then back up to Jason. The last time Tim was with Jason, it hadn’t gone well for Tim.

Jason shifted awkwardly. “The kid has a head wound, probably a concussion. I don’t know, he’s fucking delirious or some shit. He insisted I drive him to the Manor.”

Tim twisted out of Jason’s arms, skillfully evaded Bruce’s attempts to catch him, and landed hard on the ground. He looked up at both of them, confused as to why he was on the ground, but knowing he had a point to make.

“Bruce! Jason drove me home  _ without a license.” _

Jason flushed, for some stupid reason.

“His license  _ expired,  _ Bruce, because he was  _ dead.” _

Bruce winced but the kid didn’t seem to care.

“I think you should ground him.”

Bruce opened his mouth and then closed it.

Jason said, “Tim didn’t even have his license  _ with him.”  _ Like an idiot, because Tim’s crazy idiocy was contagious.

“Did you?” Bruce asked mildly, clearly laughing at him.

Jason flushed again.

“Ground him!” Tim said from the floor. “Ground him, so he  _ stays home.” _

“Then he should ground you, too, kid! You  _ stole a car _ .”

Tim gasped, outraged. “To bring  _ you _ home, because you forgot how to get here!”

Bruce was almost openly laughing, now. He leaned down and picked Tim up. Tim snuggled into his chest, scowling, and said, “I can  _ walk, _ Bruce.”

Bruce glanced at Jason, and Jason shook his head.

“I think I’ll carry you down to the Cave, just the same.”

Jason stood in the doorway, at loose ends. This was the part where he leaves, right? This wasn’t his home; he was not welcome here.

Bruce turned around and said, “Aren’t you coming in?”

“Well, I—”

“You’re  _ grounded,  _ Jason! Bruce, tell him!”

Bruce looked down at Tim affectionately and said, “I think you’re  _ both _ grounded. So come on in, Jason, you’re going to be here for a while.” 


End file.
